Best Colleges and Universities for Criminal Justice Degrees 2026

Badge for BEST FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

By Dr. James Barham
Reviewed By Chloe Dembski

Updated: Apr 15, 2026

The best criminal justice degree programs are those with rich histories of influence, proven through the work produced by the program’s faculty and alumni. Beyond demonstrating scholarly impact in the field, the best criminal justice degree programs maximize your opportunities to interact with outstanding criminal justice faculty.

Key Takeaways

The best programs for criminal justice may include focused areas like forensic science, homeland security, or juvenile justice, allowing students to pursue specific career paths within criminal justice.
Many of the programs in our ranking emphasize practical experience, offering internships, mock trial participation, and partnerships with law enforcement agencies for real-world exposure.
The best colleges and universities for criminal justice have programs that are led by faculty with extensive professional experience in law enforcement, legal fields, or criminal justice, providing students with valuable insights and networking opportunities.

Table of Contents

Best Colleges and Universities for Criminal Justice Degrees in 2026

University of Washington
Boston University
University of Florida
Florida State University
Boston College
San Francisco State University
Portland State University
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
California State University, Long Beach
Sam Houston State University

Featured Programs

The Best Colleges and Universities for Criminal Justice Degrees

Career Outlook for Students with Criminal Justice Degree

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Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration

Degree Level: Bachelor's

Location: The U.S. (Private Schools)
Avg. Cost of Degree*: $10,761
Avg. Expenses*: $17,051
Avg. Starting Salary*: $37,658
Avg. Salary after 4 Years*: $46,048
Avg. Cost Recoup Time**: 12 years
Job Growth: 3.42%
Number of Jobs: 333,500
* denotes ‘annually’
** denotes ‘at 15% of annual salary’

Career Salaries

Career	Job Growth	Avg. Salary
Managers, All Other	5.75%	$133,560
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	3.81%	$101,750
Detectives and Criminal Investigators	2.29%	$91,100
Financial Examiners	20.92%	$84,300
Emergency Management Directors	4.03%	$83,960
Compliance Officers	5.42%	$75,670
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers	3.92%	$72,280
Transit and Railroad Police	4.17%	$72,250
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers	-1.62%	$70,530
Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary	3.11%	$69,030

Top Industries

Industry	Avg. Salary
Managers, All Other	$133,560
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$101,750
Detectives and Criminal Investigators	$91,100
Financial Examiners	$84,300
Emergency Management Directors	$83,960
Compliance Officers	$75,670
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers	$72,280
Transit and Railroad Police	$72,250
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers	$70,530
Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary	$69,030

Data from The Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Department of Education College Scorecard, The Department of Education NCES, and The Council for Community and Economic Research.

The Best Criminal Justice Schools in Your State

Learn More About Criminal Justice

If you want to know more about criminal justice, then check out our related content:

Learn how to major in criminal justice
Learn about criminal justice from our expert interviews with influential criminologist
Find out who are the most influential criminologists today

A bachelor’s degree in criminal justice is an excellent starting point for a career in policing, corrections, homeland security, and a host of other important roles related to crime, justice, and public safety. As a criminal justice major, you’ll study three primary subject areas—law enforcement, corrections, and the courts.

Majoring in criminal justice is a good starting point if you plan to study policing, law, administration of justice, counter-terrorism, and more. You’ll study related subjects including criminal psychology, rehabilitation, and sociology. And if you’re interested in eventually going to law school and becoming a practicing attorney, majoring in criminal justice could be a good starting point.

A degree in criminal justice will give you the knowledge and qualifications to contribute to public safety, national security, social justice, and a host of other related fields.

For an in-depth look at how socioeconomic factors affect crime rates, take a look at our interview with influential criminologist, Dr. Richard Rosenfeld.

Degree popularity: Criminal justice bachelor’s degrees are the 16th most popular undergraduate degrees across all student demographics. It is slightly more popular among men. Crimianl justice degrees rank 6th among Black men, 8th for Black women, 8th among Hispanic men, and 15th for Hispanic women, according to the number of degree earners reported by the National Center for Educational Statistics.

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Best Colleges and Universities for Criminal Justice Degrees 2026

Key Takeaways

Best Colleges and Universities for Criminal Justice Degrees in 2026

Featured Programs

The Best Colleges and Universities for Criminal Justice Degrees

Last Year’s Ranking:

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at University of Washington

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Boston University

Boston University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at University of Florida

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Florida State University

Florida State University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Boston College

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at San Francisco State University

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Portland State University

Portland State University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at John Jay College of Criminal Justice

John Jay College of Criminal Justice’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at California State University, Long Beach

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Sam Houston State University

Sam Houston State University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Southern University at New Orleans

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at College of the Ozarks